Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Michele and I are on a train to Chicago! We have a family
wedding to attend, and it’s my birthday tomorrow, so we’ll be celebrating by
eating and drinking our way across the Windy City. If you follow me on Twitter
and/or Instagram, I’ll be sharing photos of all the deliciousness as it
happens. It’s our first trip to Chicago, so if you have any “must try” spots,
feel free to share!

The wedding we’re attending joins our cousin (and future James Beard Award winner) Tony and his beautiful fiance Nora. You may remember them from such epic 24-course meals as the one
shown in the 3-part video below. You can see the lovely couple at the beginning
of Part 1 (do not miss Nora’s slow-mo caviar tasting reaction shot!). I’ve only
posted the videos, so if you want to read a detailed account of this historic
meal, check out the original post here. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Chef John! A train huh? How long does that take? I'm used to the Acela here on the east coast getting from PVD to NYC in 3 hours. But the kick is, I can drive Providence to NYC in 2 hours. :)

Awesome way to travel. I took three different trains and four nights to get from South Florida to Seattle years ago and loved every minute, especially the wine and cheese tasting as we sped across North Dakota watching the pronghorns play.

Do try and stop by Hot Doug's! You might have to wait a while (the earlier you go, the better) but it is SO worth it! They have really great Chicago dogs, but even better, they have a whole bunch of amazing sausages, including a duck sausage topped with foie gras and black truffle aioli. Duck fat fries are only served on Fridays and Saturdays. GO!!! You won't regret it, I promise you!

Ok, for good eats in Chicago:Unos(for pizza)Fogo de Chao(for Brazilian BBQ)Carsons Ribs(for ribs)Scoozi(for Italian)---imo best spots in town!!Probably more but I grew up across the lake from Chi-town and when we would go there,those would be spots we'd hit up!Also,I hear from many sources for after hours entertainment The Wieners Circle can't be beat for a Chicago style dog that comes with colorful verbal abuse!

Although there are literally hundreds if not thousands of mouthwatering joints in the city, I'm going to suggest only a few of my favorites.

1) Hot Doug's. The best sausages and dogs in the city. There's always a line, but just get there for an early lunch (10:30 or 11) and you'll be fine. You can eat things like the Mountain Man; a combo of elk, antelope, buffalo, and venison sausage with yellow pepper sweet mayo, belletoile cheese, and jalapeno pepper relish. They also make a mean Chicago dog. I live in Denver now, and it makes me sad not to be able to eat here.

2) Manny's deli. Old school cafeteria-style diner, serving up some of the best corned beef you can find. If you're looking for true authenticity, stop in here for lunch, load up a tray of great food, and just hang out and enjoy the characters.

3)Southport Grocery & Cafe. Some of the best breakfast/brunch/lunch around. Locally sourced, homemade, fantastic comfort food. Bread pudding pancakes, sweet & savory french toast, brisket & gravy, a ferocious burger, and the best take on a cuban sandwich ever. EVER.

Also, being your first Chicago visit, do yourself a favor and skip the Sears Tower and grab a drink at the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock building. You get the single best view of the city, and you can enjoy a drink too!

Lastly, if you have time while you're downtown, take the architecture boat tour. You take the boat up the Chicago river and get to view the city from an entirely unique vantage point, learning quite a bit along the way. Good stuff. Have a great time!

You should make a contest and whoever wins can have the 24-item tasting menu. I swear I would go all the way from Brazil to USA if I won! Love your videos, chef John! Please keep satisfying my food wishes (well, at least visually satisfying it, haha)